A U.S. reality TV producer potentially facing up to 30 years in prison today spoke out from a Mexican jail cell to insist he didn’t kill his wife, who was found dead in a sewer cistern during a family holiday.

Bruce Beresford-Redman, 40, of Los Angeles, California, has been ordered to stand trial over the killing of his wife Monica Beresford-Redman, 42, at a luxury Cancun resort in April 2010.

The Contender and Survivor producer allegedly strangled her and left her body in a sewer - but he told CBS News that his wife went out shopping one morning on the holiday and never returned.

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Speaking out: Bruce Beresford-Redman allegedly strangled his wife and left her body in a sewer

Prison cell: Mr Beresford-Redman said it is 'ludicrous and completely false' for prosecutors to suggest he killed his wife and left her in a hotel room for the whole day while he went in and out with his children

‘I didn't kill my wife, I really didn't,’ he told 48 Hours Mystery on CBS. ‘I can't imagine how anyone who listened to everything said could possibly think I had anything to do with killing my wife.’

Mrs Beresford-Redman’s body was found when the couple were on holiday with their young children in an attempt to save their marriage, after she learned her husband was cheating on her.

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‘It was her birthday,’ the Emmy-nominated producer told CBS for the show on Saturday at 10pm ET. ‘It was a family trip. And we just said: “Look, let's just go and have a good time” - and that was it.’

Part of the evidence in the case includes statements from hotel guests who said they heard loud arguing and cries of distress coming from the couple's room on the night she went missing.

Murder case: Bruce Beresford-Redman, 40, left,
of Los Angeles, California, was last week ordered to stand trial over
the killing of his wife Monica Beresford-Redman, 42, right, at a luxury
Cancun resort in April 2010

TV producer: Bruce Beresford-Redman attends his court hearing in a jail in Cancun, Mexico, earlier this month. He was extradited to stand trial for the 2010 murder of his wife in the resort town of Cancun

But his lawyer insists that the noises came from Mr Beresford-Redman and his children playing loud games throughout the night, adding that there isn't any forensic evidence that his client killed her.

'I didn't kill my wife. I can't imagine how anyone who listened to everything said could possibly think I had anything to do with killing my wife'

Bruce Beresford-Redman

Mr Beresford-Redman said it is ‘ludicrous and completely false’ for prosecutors to suggest he killed his wife and left her in a hotel room for the whole day while he went in and out with his children.

A Mexican judge ordered the trial last Wednesday after deciding there was enough evidence to go ahead with it - but Jaime Cancino, defending, said his client was ‘distraught’ by the ruling and passed out when it was made.

‘It's something very strange because there is no evidence in the case,’ Mr Cancino said, adding that he would appeal the order, announced by Quintana Roo state prosecutor Ludwin Vivas Arjona.

Prison: The jail where Mr Beresford-Redman is being held to face the murder charge is seen in Cancun

Exclusive: The luxurious Moon Palace Resort in Cancun where the couple went on holiday in April 2010

The defendant was flown to Cancun earlier this month escorted by nearly a dozen Mexican agents, after the U.S. Marshals Service turned him over to Mexican police following an extradition warrant.

'It was her birthday. It was a family trip. And we just said: “Look, let's just go and have a good time” - that was it'

Bruce Beresford-Redman

He opted in December not to appeal a U.S. court ruling upholding his extradition. Prosecutors claim he wanted to kill his wife to gain sole custody of his children and collect insurance money.

Mr Beresford-Redman worked on 48 episodes of the competition reality show Survivor between February 2002 and May 2004, while he also helped produce hit MTV car series Pimp My Ride.

‘Am I a survivor or not?’ Mr Beresford-Redman told CBS. ‘I think very much remains to be seen.’